Cullen Bay Day Spa owner and ‘Wellness coach’ Marii Oblelscuk joins challenge over NT Covid vaccine mandate

’Pro choice’ Free in the NT protester joins Supreme Court challenge to the NT Government’s Covid vaccine mandate.

UPDATE 6PM TUES: THE OWNER of a day spa and an essential oils saleswoman who claimed to treat Covid with natural remedies has joined the legal challenge against the Territory’s vaccine mandate.

Marii Oblelscuk has become the fourth plaintiff in a Supreme Court challenge to the Chief Health Officer’s vaccine mandate.

The “wellness lifestyle coach” and Cullen Bay Day Spa owner was announced as part of the civil case on Monday, three months after it was filed by a bus driver, supermarket worker and sparkie.

Buslink driver Ray Phillips, Coles worker Conan Thomas Hammett and Power and Water Corporation employee John Anstess have claimed the health measure was unlawful and racist, as it classified Aboriginal people as a “vulnerable” group.

Cullen Bay Day Spa owner Marii Oblescuk. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Outside the court United NT Businesses spokesman Mario Tsirbas described Ms Oblelscuk as an Indigenous woman with a prominent business.

“She felt that this was the right action to join and be a part of,” Mr Tsirbas said.

“She felt that what she had suffered was worthy of joining the case.”

“She felt that the directions imposed by the Chief Health officer were too onerous to stand by and let by without any challenge.”

Ms Oblelscuk has posted to Facebook about losing “good people” from the Cullen Bay Day Spa as a result of the vaccine mandate, and blamed the mandate on other businesses’ closures and reduced opening hours.

During the November snap lock-in, where unvaccinated Territorians could not leave their homes, Ms Oblelscuk posted to Facebook that she expected her business to lose $8000.

She has also prolifically posted to Facebook about “the right to consent on having a medical treatment” and questioned the possible health impacts of the vaccine.

The profile on her business’s website said she was an “advocate” for essential oils DoTerra Wellness — the same multi-level marketing company that partnered with controversial anti-vax chef Pete Evans.

On Facebook the “pro choice” protester has repeatedly made claims that there were natural alternatives to boost the immune system to fight Covid and said there was “no medical data to support it (the vaccine) stops you contracting, transmitting or even that it saves lives”.

“Homoeopathic alternatives to boost your immune system – the vaccine is not for everyone,” Ms Oblelscuk wrote in November.

“Stay away from toxins and synthetic drugs,” she said in another post. “Drugs that doctors offer to calm the symptoms are not the answer – proactive medical care and preventive medicine is the way.”

Ms Oblelscuk does not claim to have any medical qualification and is not listed on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s register of practitioners.

Ms Oblelscuk has also posted videos attending Free in the NT anti-mandate rallies, including one video where she appeared to yell at police for “blocking the roads”.

“We are all victims of a pandemic of compliance not a virus,” Ms Oblelscuk wrote in a Facebook post.

“Governments around the world wake up – people are not accepting your tyranny,” she wrote in another.

Her day spa website said Ms Oblelscuk’s “vision” was to “inspire a healthy, happy and resilient Darwin community that evolves to become a ‘blue zone’ where a high number of individuals live over the age of 100”.

Legal juggernaut to fight NT Gov on vaccine mandate

INITIAL 12PM TUES: ANTI-VACCINE mandate advocates have recruited a legal juggernaut in their battle against the Territory’s Chief Health Officer.

High-profile barrister Julian Burnside — who has provided legal counsel for challenges to Australian’s refugee policies, fighting for stolen generation survivors, and the defence of controversial businessman Alan Bond — has taken up the case challenging the legality of the vaccine mandate.

Buslink driver Ray Phillips, Coles worker Conan Thomas Hammett and Power and Water Corporation employee John Anstess returned to the Supreme Court on Monday for a directions hearing for their case against the government.

Their new barrister’s arrival comes as a fourth plaintiff, Marii Oblelscuk, has joined the challenge, which has claimed the health measure was unlawful and racist, as it classified Aboriginal people as a “vulnerable” group.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Burnside said the case was to interrogate an alleged misuse of power by the government.

“There is a really important human rights mission at the heart of it,” Mr Burnside said.

“(It’s about) whether people can get access to justice.”

Australian barrister Julian Burnside. Picture: Peter Ristevski

The prominent Queen’s Counsel made it clear he had received his booster, distinguishing his client’s case as a fight against “misusing statutory power” rather than an anti-vax campaign.

“I’m against people who are opposed to vaccination,” Mr Burnside said.

United NT Businesses spokesman Mario Tsirbas said part of the Monday directions hearing was focused on cost orders.

It comes as the anti-mandate business lobby continues to run a fundraising campaign to back the legal challenge.

Mr Tsirbas was asked if he was confident the group would have the funds to continue the Supreme Court challenge, including the bill for their high profile barrister.

“I’m confident the people of the Territory are resilient and strong and they fight for each other,” he said.

“It’s not about us covering our backside, it’s about everyone knowing that the arguments that are going to be put before the judge are actually in the public interest and deserve to be heard.”

Mr Tsirbas was critical that evidence backing the Chief Health Officer’s decisions had still not been made public.

“How are these decisions being made? What is the evidence that supports it?,” he asked.

“The government is digging in its heels and refusing to come clean about how the chief health officer came to his decisions and how he continues to make directions.

“The only place we are going to hear this evidence is actually in the court.”

The civil matter will return to the Supreme Court on April 19 as part of a six-day hearing.